Of Leave and Baskets
by Kenian Rainn
Summary: SG-1 is on leave, and one morning someone drops a baby at Jack's doorstep. Jack asks Sam for help. Set a bit before Heroes, AU from there. T for safety. S/J. I stink at summaries... sorry I couldn't come up with a better title... Please R&R! COMPLETE!
1. Of Grace

Okay, so I was reading a bunch of challenges and one challenge popped out at me. Then this fic started writing itself. If it's any good or not, we'll see.

Set in the middle of season seven, before Heroes. S/J, as always.

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Of Leave and Baskets

Chapter One

It was a beautiful Thursday morning, and Jack was sitting on his couch. Upon returning from P3J-199 the day before, Daniel had managed to get shot in the back with an arrow. So, while he recovered in the Infirmary, the rest of SG-1 got put on leave. Again.

So, there he sat. A beeer in his hand, the Simpsons playing in the background, he started dosing off. Unlike some of his other teammates, (who shall remain nameless), who would rather stay in their lab all week than actually go home, he really enjoyed being on leave. For the most part.

Suddenly, he awoke to a knock on the door. He grumbled as he turned off the TV and went to answer his door.

He opened the door, and saw no one. He was about to close the door, when he heard a sound, one he hadn't heard in a while, and yet it was all too familiar. He looked down and, sure enough, there was a basket on his doorstep. Inside the basket?

Yep. A baby.

He leaned out of his doorway and looked for the person who had left the child behind, but to no avail. He picked up the basket and carried it inside. He set it on the counter and picked up the baby that was inside. Pinned to the baby's pink blanket was a note. He pulled it off and began to read:

_Hello. Let me start off by saying that I'm sorry for burdening you with my child. _

_I saw you one day taking care of a little and decided that you'd be the best choice to care for my baby. I can't take care of her, and she deserves better than I could ever give her._

_Please keep her, care for her. I never wanted to give her up, but I have to. I only want the best for her, what foster care and adoption can't give her._

_She is 6 weeks old and her name is Grace._

He exhaled sharply and folded up the note. _Guess I'd better call the police. _He reached for the phone, but stopped midway. The young mother's words echoed in his mind.

_I only want the best for her, what foster care and adoption can't give her._

"What about what I can't give her!" He said aloud, waking the sleeping little in his arms.

She started to cry and he attempted to calm her down. It didn't work. She just cried louder and louder. Reminded of Charlie as a baby, he held her up on his shoulder and slowly rubbed her back. She finally calmed down and started to fall back asleep. He continued until she was soundly asleep and he placed her back in the basket.

He picked up his phone and dialed Major Carter's lab. The phone rang six times, before a passing sergeant answered the phone.

"Sergeant Michaels."

"This is Colonel O'Neill."

"Oh, sir. The Major left a couple hours ago."

"Did she say where she was headed?"

"She said she was going to go home and enjoy her leave."

"Did she really?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, thank you Sergeant."

He hung up the phone and dialed her house. She picked up after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Carter."

"Oh! Hi, sir."

"You'll never guess what I found on my doorstep this morning..."

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So? Should I continue? Trash it? Review and let me know, please!!! I need reviews like Daniel needs coffee!


	2. Of Carter and 'Stay'

Here's chapter two... I decided to write more because stories never come this easily to me. This chapter pretty much wrote itself, though I'm not sure how much I like it...

_Karen19 - Your wish is my command. ; )_

_mynameisme - Thank you for reviewing! I think it has potential too - we shall see. : )_

_Ellana-san - I'm really glad you like the start - the first chapter seems to be my hardest (in my opinion, of course)_

_VisualIDentificationZeta- As I may not has emphasized earlier, this is a response to a challenge. The challenge rules were:_

Sg-1 is on leave, and one morning someone drops a baby at Jack's doorstep. Jack isn't sure of what to do because the last time he took care of an infant was with Sara. So he asks Sam for help and the two become close. You think how it should end.

_I'm trying my very hardest to stick to the rules of this challenge (as I've never been able to before). A side effect of this particular challenge is that they may be a bit OOC. I did like your idea for why he asked - maybe that's his secret motivation... ??_

_Devilish Me - I love Grace fics too! : D_

_lkhoward88 - It is short... this chapter is longer, hopefully long enough._

_momof6 - I hope he can pull some strings (saving the world and all that stuff)... although, Sam could *cough* comfort him if he doesn't get to keep her... we'll see what muse decides. :)_

_Little Miss Sci-Fi - I don't want to rush them either... but we'll see how long I can keep the rest of the story going before my inspiration runs out. I'm not sure if they'll get together or not._

_Athena - Thanks for reviewing - I aim to please!_

Okay - thank you all for reviewing - I love when my inbox is stuffed full of reviews!

And now... on to the story!

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"A baby, sir?"

"Yep."

"Was there a note or anything?"

"Yes. It basically said that her mother can't take care of her anymore. She said she saw me one day when I was taking care of my neighbor's kid and decided I was better off taking care of the baby than she was."

"Is it a g irl or a boy?"

"A little g irl, named Grace."

Jack heard Sam's breath catch for a second, before she continued with her questions.

"How old is she?"

"Six weeks."

"Wow. So, um... why did you call me?"

He paused. He didn't really know why, so he decided to make something up.

"I actually need some things for her, and I was wondering if you could get them for me."

There. That didn't sound too suspicious, did it?

"Okay, I can do that. What do you need?"

"Some diapers, formula and a bottle."

"Alright, I'll bring it by in about half an hour, okay?"

"Sure, sounds great."

"Goodbye, sir."

"Carter."

He hung up the phone. _That probably wasn't a good idea, _he thought to himself. He picked up the basket that Grace was in and placed it on the floor beside his couch. He picked up a crossword puzzle and started to work on it. About 30 minutes later, his doorbell rang. He stood up from the couch and quickly checked his appearance in his mirror. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. _Get a grip. It's just Carter!_ He exhaled quickly before opening the door.

Now, not to saw that she wasn't attractive in BDU's, but wow! In her civilian clothes she was enough to make any guy... _Not going there right now,_ he scolded his mind.

"Carter. Fancy meeting you here!"

She smiled her special Jack O'Neill smile that made his heart melt.

"I hope I got the right things,sir. I've never shopped for a baby before."

"Oh, I'm sure you did just fine."

"Can I... uh, see her?"

"Oh, yeah! Sure. She's in the living room."

She walked inside and he followed her into the room. She slowed down as she neared the basket and peered inside at the tiny infant.

"She's beautiful."

_Yes, you are,_ the teenage part of his brain muttered to him. _Shut up!_ His common sense muttered back.

"Well, when she wakes up she'll be hungry. I'd better go make some of this up for her."

"Wait. You're gonna leave me here with her?"

"She's asleep. It'll be fine."

He couldn't help but smile. _She isn't afraid of the Goa'uld or anything else we come across on **other planets**_**, **_and yet she gets nervous at the sight of a sleeping baby._

He had just finished up the bottle when he heard Grace start to cry and a nervous Carter say "Sir?" He walked back into the room and picked up Grace. He plopped the bottle into her mouth with ease and she started to suck on it.

"Well, you made that look easy."

"I've had practice," he muttered softly.

She was silent for a moment.

"Well, sir. I should go."

"You know... I may have had practice with this baby stuff, but it's always nice to have someone else to help out... so if you'd like to stay and help me... I wouldn't mind."

_Oh sure. Leave it to Sam Carter to turn you into a blubbering idiot,_ his mind berated him.

"Are you... sure?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Okay, then I'll stay, sir."

"Great."

Grace finished the bottle and Jack burped her before she fell back asleep. He put her back in the basket.

"So, I suppose you're going to call the police about her."

"Well, I was going to until I read the note."

He handed it to her and waited patiently as she read it. He tried not to notice at she quickly batted away a tear and handed the note back to him.

"Now, I'm not so sure."

"Well, sir, you can't keep her and be going off world every day."

"I know!" He said, sharper than he meant. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's alright. This kind of note would make anyone want to keep her."

"It's not just that."

"What do you mean?"

He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit down too. Then his voice dropped, almost to a whisper.

"After Charlie... I just... I felt like I had let him down. Right now... I don't know." He took a deep breath and continued. "I can't help but feel almost like I'm getting a second chance. I never thought I'd have another child, or at least to care for one. I really want that chance."

She was silent for a moment, then she spoke again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... attacked you like that. I mean, you already know everything I said. I just made it worse."

"It's fine."

"I really am sorry."

He smiled at her.

"And it's really fine."

She smiled back. The moment was then broken by Grace crying. Jack picked her up.

"Ah. Diaper change time."

Sam smiled again.

While he left to change her diaper, Sam sat on his couch. She twiddled her and tried desperately not to feel nervous and out of place, but she couldn't. She was relieved when he finally came back into the room.

"Would you like to hold her?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course." He handed Grace to Sam. "Just make sure you support her head. See, you're a natural."

Jack sat down on the couch beside her. Grace began to fall asleep and Sam gently put her back in the basket. Then she looked at her watch.

"Wow, it's getting late. I should go home."

She picked up her purse and stood up.

"Thanks for getting me that stuff for Grace."

He stood up and tried to hand her some money.

"No, no. My gift for her."

"Thank you."

She pulled on her jacket and started to walk towards his door. His heart shouted at him as she walked away. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Carter?"

She turned around slowly.

"Sir?"

He hesitated for a second. _For heaven's sake – just say it!_ His mind screamed at him.

"Stay."

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So? How was it??? Should I still continue or should I just trash it??? Am I rushing them? Are they **too** OOC? Just press that pretty little button down there and let me know!


	3. Of The First Night

Here's another chapter! This one was a bit hard to write, sorry if it's short.

_rek - As you wish, master. ; )_

_Fantasy Forest - I was thinking of doing that for this chapter, but I just wanted to get another one up quickly. I promise I will do it in the next chapter!!!_

On to the story!!

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She cleared her throat and then responded, "Sir?"

Now, he hadn't thought much past the 'stay', so he just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out how best to not sound like an idiot, or worse, have her turn him down.

"Well... I mean, she's bound to keep me up all night... and when Charlie was that little I had Sara's help... well, actually, I didn't do much... anyway... I just thought maybe... you wouldn't be opposed to staying here... and maybe helping me with Grace... tonight."

_Oh, that sounded wonderfully idiotic._

"Are you serious... I mean, sure?"

"Um. Yes."

"If that was meant to reassure me..."

"Well, no, I mean, yes, I just..."

"It was a joke, Sir. Kind of."

"Ah."

"If you really think you need the help... I suppose I don't have much else to do."

"Okay, then. Stay."

"Alright, then."

"The guest room is..."

"I know where it is, thanks."

She walked down the hall, went into the guest room, and closed the door. She put her purse on the bed and tried to figure out what the Colonel was trying to do.

_He doesn't need my help._ She relented to herself.

_So why am I here, staying at his house? Why did I say yes?_

But the more she thought about it, the more confused she got. Finally, she just decided to stop wondering. She slowly opened the door and walked back into the living room. She noticed that Jack had laid out some blankets on the couch. _So, if he's sleeping out here, why does he need my help? _Her thoughts were interrupted by the Colonel's voice.

"Carter."

"Sir?"

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing."

"If you don't want to stay, you know you don't have to." _But I want you to!_ His mind screamed.

"If you need the help, then I guess there is nothing wrong with that."

"You're right. There is nothing wrong with it."

"Yeah."

"So..."

"Actually, sir, I'm kind of tired. If Grace is going to keep us up, I should probably try to get some sleep while I can."

"Okay."

She waited for him to say something else, but he didn't.

"Goodnight, sir."

"'Night Carter."

She walked back into the guest room and sat down on the bed. She grabbed a book out of her bag and laid back on the pillows.

Jack sat down on the couch, with Grace in his arms. He tucked her blanket under her chin. She fell into a deep, sound sleep and Jack reluctantly set her back in the basket. He tried to read for a while, but once he had to read a page over four times, he decided it was time to sleep. He walked to his room to change into his pajamas.

As he walked down the hall, he resisted the urge to look into Sam's room. He walked straight into his room and changed. On the way back down the hallway, his willpower succumbed. He quietly pushed the door open another inch and peered inside. He smiled slightly at what he saw.

Sam was asleep, with her book fanned out on her stomach. The lamp was still on. She didn't have a blanket on, but she looked comfortable enough.

_Just walk away, just turn around and walk away!_ his common sense screamed. He squashed it as he walked into the room. He slowly picked up her book and put it on the night table. He laid a blanket over her and clicked off the lamp. Then he slowly walked back out of the room and quietly closed the door.

He sighed in relief that he didn't wake her up. While it wasn't inappropriate, per se, he still didn't want to have to explain his actions to her at 11:30 at night. He laid down on the couch and fell asleep.

He awoke to Grace crying. He tried to silence her as quickly as he could. Even though Sam was there to help, he didn't want her to wake up just yet. He glanced down at his watch – 0130. He fed Grace, changed her diaper, and got her back to sleep by 2am. Then he prepared another bottle for her and tried to fall back asleep.

At 0315, 0530, and 0700, he did the same thing. When Grace woke up at 7, Jack decided it was time for him to get up too. He pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt and made himself some coffee. Then he sat back down on the couch and played with baby Grace, silently wondering when Sam was going to get up.

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Not positive I like this one, I think it's too short to really judge it... The next chapter will be longer ~ I promise!!!

Please, please review!!! If you have any ideas for the story, they are gladly welcome and I'll work in as many as I can!

Reviews = Love!


	4. Of One Question

Here is chapter four!!! Thanks for all of your lovely reviews!!! They are greatly appreciated! :D

_Athena - I'm trying very hard not to rush them, but I'm really trying to have a multi-chapter fic that I can finish. I also hope that my sort-of explanation in this chapter about why Sam didn't wake up seems realistic enough... I really couldn't figure out why she didn't wake up._

_scarletwitch0 - I'm also trying to figure out if the Grace reference was a coincidence or something more._

_Disneynut - I know it'll be hard for them if they have to give her up... we shall see if they do!_

_Devilish Me - Thanks for the review and I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story!!!_

_Leighawen - I've decided for this story to stick to the challenge and try to make it longer, in the future I'll try to stick more to the existing characters. :)_

_Ellana-san -The challenge is from Sam and Jack Fan Fic Challenge Archive_.

_mynameisme - I'm so, so, **so** glad that you are enjoying the story... I was a bit concerned about it at first, but I'm feeling more confident now. :D_

_not a zatarc - I really am trying not to rush things... but know that I know how it's going to end, I really want to get there faster! :\_

And now - on to chapter four!!!

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Sam awoke disoriented and one thought flashed through her mind: _Why am I in Jack's bed? _

A few moments later, she remembered about Grace and realized that she wasn't in **Jack's** bed, she was in his guest room bed. She rubbed her eyes and ran a brush through her hair. Then she realized she'd slept through the whole night and left Jack to take care of Grace.

She opened the door and walked down the hallway into the living room. When she didn't see either Jack or Grace there, she walked into the kitchen and found Jack feeding Grace and trying to feed himself at the same time. It was a rather comical image, that was interrupted by a plea of:

"Carter? A little help here?"

She walked over to him and took Grace out of his arms. He handed her the bottle and she carefully placed it in Grace's mouth. Jack finished his bowl of cereal and put it in the sink.

"Coffee?" he inquired.

"Sounds good."

He grabbed a coffee mug out of the dishwasher and poured her a cup.

"I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't much help to you after all, was I."

"She didn't wake up **that** much... I'm glad you got to sleep."

"Yeah, I've been studying that device from PJR-713 almost 24/7. Did you know that because of the naquada deposits in the material, it makes the iron-like material that surrounds the machine..."

"Ack!" He said and waved his arms in front of his face. "I'm on leave. You're on leave. No more techno-talk."

She smiled. "Yes, sir."

Grace finished her bottle and Sam burped her. Then she handed the baby back to Jack in exchange for her coffee.

"So, Carter. Today, I'm thinking we should take Grace to the SGC and have Fraiser check her out."

"That's a good idea."

"I'm also thinking I should tell the General about my situation and see what he thinks is the best thing to do about it."

"Sounds like a plan."

"But, if you come with me, you have to promise to stay out of your lab."

"But, sir! I just need five minutes to..."

"No way, Carter. If I let you stay in there for 'five' minutes, you'll be in there all day. Weren't you listening to General Hammond?"

"I was!"

"Then what did he say?"

She sighed before responding. "He said that SG-1 is on leave until Daniel recovers."

"Exactly."

"Okay, no lab. I get it. I'll head back to my house and meet you on base at 10?"

"Sounds good."

She went back into the guest room to grab her things and said goodbye to Jack.

He put Grace back in her basket and laid down on the couch to take a quick nap. When he woke up at 9:30, he realized that he didn't have a car seat for Grace. So he did something he vowed never to do – ask his neighbor for help.

Now, this particular neighbor had four children and owed him for watching her kids on a few occasions. So he walked up to the door with Grace in his arms and rang the bell. Mrs. Hanson, the mother, answered.

"Hello Jack. What can I do for you today?"

"Well, I'm taking care of my friend's baby today and I realized that she didn't leave me with a car seat and I need to run an errand and..."

Okay, so it wasn't exactly the truth, but it was close. Enough.

"Say no more. I have one my youngest just outgrew, actually. You can have it."

"Thank you kindly, ma'am."

Mrs. Hanson laughed.

"I'll go grab it for you."

When she returned, the three of her children that could walk were all crowded around Jack and Grace. She smiled and handed Jack the car seat.

"Thanks, I'm eternally grateful."

"No problem, Jack. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye Jack!" the three children yelled in unison.

He walked back down the walk and installed the car seat. He buckled Grace in and then they were off.

He got to the mountain a little late, but ended up arriving at the same time as Sam. And so, they walked into the base together, Sam holding Grace in her arms. Well, they didn't realize it at first, but they were watched the whole time they were walking through the halls until Jack threw his hands up in the air and yelled "What?" Then everyone in the entire base turned and looked the other way.

Sam couldn't help but smile at his outburst._ It's so cute when he does that, _she mused, before she caught herself. _No, not cute. Commanding officer. Commanding officer. By no means cute. _Well, she didn't exactly convince herself, but at least she tried.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the infirmary and walked inside to see Daniel.

Well, Daniel was still hyped up on the painkillers they gave him when they finally removed the arrow from his back. All of this resulted in a comment that made Sam blush.

"Jack, Sam? You guys had a baby! It's about time!"

So, while Sam blushed, Jack put his fist into the air towards Daniel.

Daniel shut up right away.

Janet, after chuckling at Daniel's comment, came into the room and was more than a little shocked to see that, indeed, Jack and Sam had brought a baby into the mountain.

"What's the meaning of this, Colonel?"

"Can we talk in your office, please?"

"Sure."

All three walked into her office.

"Yesterday morning, someone left this baby on my doorstep. They said she's 6 weeks old and her name is Grace."

Janet gave Sam a glance that made her blush before Jack continued, completely oblivious to his friend's exchange.

"They told me not to call the police and to keep her."

"I see."

"The Colonel thought it would be a good idea to have you check her out, if you have time," Sam said.

"I can do that."

She took Grace from Sam.

"I'm going to go talk to the General," Jack said.

He left and Sam followed Janet while she examined Grace.

Almost a half hour later, Janet had finished her examination and Jack had talked to the General.

"Well, she seems very healthy. She's a bit small for her age, but there nothing to be concerned about."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"How long do you think it'll be before Daniel is better?" Jack inquired.

"Probably a week, maybe 10 days."

"Okay."

"Thanks again."

"No problem, Sam."

Jack, Sam and Grace all left the room.

"I don't know about you Carter, but I'm hungry."

"I am too. Do you wanna eat in the commissary, sir?"

"Sounds fine."

So they began the short walk to the commissary. The entered the room and a gasp fell over the whole room, who obviously hadn't seen the baby g irl. Sam and Grace sat down at a table and Jack brought over some food.

Almost one-by-one, everyone in the room came over to their table and asked the same question. "Who's baby is this?" Shocker there, right?

Every time Jack responded with the same words, "She's belongs to a friend of mine."

So, maybe it wasn't really true. But it was better than saying "Oh, someone dropped her on my doorstep yesterday." He didn't want too many suspicions floating around, though he knew ors were bound to get started.

What he didn't know was that the ors had already made their way through half of the base. But he would know soon enough.

The whole walk back out to their cars took maybe 10 minutes, but in that time they saw around 40 different groups of people obviously whispering about Grace, Jack, and Sam.

When they finally reached their cars, they both sighed in relief.

"Well, that was exhausting," Jack stated.

"You can say that again!"

Jack bucked Grace in her car seat and started to climb into the driver's seat, when he heard Sam's voice and climbed back out.

"Well, I guess you don't really need my help after all, do you."

"Hey. Last night you had an excuse, you hadn't slept in a week. Tonight will be different."

Whoops. Had he really just said that?

"I... uh, I mean..."

"You're right. It will be different," Sam said before getting in her car and closing the door before he could say anything else.

_Well that could've been bad,_ Jack mused, as he climbed into the driver's seat.

He and Sam both arrived at his house about the same time and Jack soon found out that was planning on coming back long before he mentioned it, she had brought a bag packed with her clothes and other things she needed.

He was momentarily confused as to why she wanted to come back, but soon realized it was making his head hurt and stopped.

Grace was asleep when he walked her back inside and so he carefully unbuckled her and put her back in the basket.

"I suppose she can't sleep in that basket forever, now can she?" Jack inquired.

"Probably not the best idea," Sam said and smiled a little.

"I guess I'll have to go buy her a crib." He started to pull on his jacket and grabbed his keys.

"Wait. You're just going to leave me here. Alone. With Grace?"

"You did just fine with Cassie!"

"Cassie wasn't 6 weeks old."

"Look, she's asleep. I won't be gone for longer than a half-hour. I already have a bottle made up, you just have to warm it for her. You'll be fine."

"Are you sure," she started to ask, but he was already out the door.

_Now, why is he doing this? Why is he making **me** do this?_

She sat down on the couch and stared down at Grace. She couldn't believe how beautiful and perfect she was. _How could anyone give her up?_ She wondered to herself.

Nearly an hour later, Jack finally returned. Grace was still asleep and he and Sam started to set up the crib.

"She must be tired out from the doctor's visit," Sam said.

"Wouldn't you be?"

She smiled. Jack pulled out two wood pieces from the box.

"Let's see... flap A goes into flap B..."

Within fifteen minutes, the crib was put together. Jack stood up.

_I'm getting too old for this, _he thought.

The rest of the day was spent debating similarities between Simpson characters and system lords, taking care of Grace, and eating potato chips because Sam said they sounded good, and who was Jack to deny her of that?

When they finally got Grace to sleep, Jack yawned exaggeratedly.

"Tired, sir?"

"Just a little," he said wryly.

"Then, I suppose I'll let you go to sleep."

She started walking to the guest room.

"And I promise I'll wake up this time!"

"You'd better," Jack teased.

He laid down on the couch and tried to sleep while he could.

* * *

I tried to add my own kind of commentary on this chapter, and I _tried_ to be funny, not sure if it worked or not. ;)

I really, really appreciate the reviews of all you wonderful people have left for me!!!

Please let me know how I'm doing so far! Any ideas for the story are welcome, I'll try to tie them in.

All it takes is 30 seconds of your time to make my day a good one. :D :D :D


	5. Of Tears and Goodbye

Alas, this is the last chapter of this story.

You've all been so great, but I just ran out of ideas. This chapter is very rushed, so please beware, but still read! :)

* * *

Jack woke up at 11:00 to Grace's crying and was a bit shocked to see Sam had already picked her up and was attempting to calm her down.

"How did you get out here so fast?" he asked.

"I was still awake."

"Ah."

"I'll handle her this time, you can take the next one."

"Okay," he said, as he dozed back asleep.

He woke up again at 1:15, and did what he had done the night before.

When she woke up at 3:30, he decided to let Sam handle it (as she was already dealing with it just fine), and slept soundly until Grace awoke again, this time at 6. He decided to get up and let Sam sleep a little longer. He fed Grace, put her in the crib, and started to make up some coffee.

Around 7, Sam came out of the guest room looking more than a little tired. Instead of asking, Jack just put a coffee mug in front of her.

"Thanks."

She was silent until she finished and poured herself another cup.

"Isn't it weird how I can stay awake through the night working on an artifact and be fine the next day and now, I can barely keep my eyes open?"

"Adrenaline can do some pretty amazing things."

"I suppose you're right."

They sat down on the couch and got lost in their own thoughts until Grace began to cry.

"I'll handle it," Jack said as he stood up.

He picked Grace up and started to rock her.

"I never got to ask, sir. What did General Hammond think you should do?"

"Well, he decided to try to track down the mother or some family member of Grace's. He also asked Fraiser to do a DNA test on her. To see if she's mine."

Sam looked down at her feet.

"She's not mine, Sam."

Sam tried not to look overly excited but she did grin for a moment. She hoped Jack didn't notice, but he did.

A week passed and Grace grew bigger every day. She was smiling and laughing now and this delighted both Sam and Jack.

The DNA test had already come back and it was negative. The General still hadn't found any people in relation to Grace, but he was trying.

His semi-relationship with Sam seemed to be moving along quickly, as quickly as it could without anyone noticing they were breaking regulations.

Jack will never be able to explain how it happened, but one early afternoon, he found his face only a few inches from Sam's. In the spur of the moment, he decided to seize the opportunity.

The kiss was slow and gentle, but throughly enjoyed by both parties.

That is, until they were ever so rudely interrupted by a baby crying.

"That kid is worse than Daniel," Jack exclaimed.

Sam grinned as Jack went over and picked up Grace.

That night, after Grace finally fell asleep, Jack and Sam, without really knowing it, started to watch over her, without saying a word, just soaking up her presence in their lives. Sam laid her head down on Jack's shoulder and before either knew it they were both asleep.

Suddenly, all sorts of images and sounds passed through Jack's mind. The first time he saw Charlie, Charlie's first smile, his first word, his first step. All the games they played together. Then, the sound that shattered Jack's world – a shot. Images of Charlie lying on the ground, the ambulance showing up outside, realizing there was no hope.

Jack jolted awake, thus awakening the sleeping woman on his shoulder. He pressed his palms hard into his eyes, in an attempt to make the images go away.

"Are you okay?" Sam said, concerned.

"Nightmare," he said.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Charlie."

She gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

He pulled his hands away from his face.

"I'll be fine."

"I should go to bed."

She got up before he could protest.

"Good night, sir."

The next morning, Jack got the dreaded phone call.

He answered his cell phone after three rings.

"O'Neill."

"It's General Hammond, son."

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"It's about Grace."

Jack's heart fell ten stories.

"I've found out who her mother is, by nothing short of a miracle. It turns out that Grace's grandmother wants her back. Since she is family, she has the strongest legal claim."

"I see."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"When is the grandmother coming to get her?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir. Goodbye."

He hung up the phone.

Sam walked in the door half an hour later and instantly knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"They're taking her away."

"Grace?"

"Her grandmother is coming to pick her up tomorrow morning."

Much to Jack's surprise, Sam started to cry.

"I can't believe she can do that! Her daughter wanted you to have Grace!"

"I'm not related to Grace. Therefore, her grandmother's claim outranks mine."

She sat down on the couch.

"But it's just not fair. It's just not fair, Jack!"

"Come'ere."

He wrapped his arms and around her and she sobbed into his chest.

"Life isn't fair Sam. It never is."

They stayed that way all night, except for the times when Grace woke up, as if reminding them this was their last night with her.

To their dismay, the morning came and they knew Grace's grandmother, Hannah, would arrive soon. They put the things they had for Grace away in the attic and set her in the basket she had came in, not so long ago.

At 10:00 on the dot, Hannah showed up, thoroughly elated at her granddaughter's appearance.

"I cannot thank you enough for taking care of her. How can I ever repay you?"

_You can leave her with us, _a dual thought passed through both Jack and Sam's minds.

"Just being able to be with her was payment enough," Sam said, solemnly.

"Say goodbye to them, Grace."

And just as quickly as she had entered into their lives she was gone.

They both sat down on the couch and this time, Jack fell apart. Without actually sobbing or saying a word, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

Sam wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered.

And he couldn't quite explain how, but in that moment he knew that everything would.

fin.

* * *

And there you have it! The last chapter of OLAB. My longest finished fic yet!

Thanks again for all the reviews, I shall cherish them forever.

*huggles you all*


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